Elsa and I both like having side projects to work on, from furniture or reupholstering to working on old bikes. This time, we found a Schwinn Le Tour10 speed bike on Craigslist. From photos, it didn't look too rough, and would be an easy polish job. The seller said he had bought it from a guy who fixes up old bikes for fun, but didn't ride it much. I took it home for $120, and as you can see below, after a wipe down, the bike ended up being a bit rougher than we expected, with some rust, "fixed" paint cracks and gouges, and road grime and grease everywhere.

According to this site, the bike is a 1974 (October, 1974, to be exact) Japanese-made Le Tour. Here is a catalog, showing the brand new Le Tour; "Lightweight, agile, and loaded with fine quality". The groupset is all "Schwinn Approved", which was manufactured by Shimano, and could be considered the prelude to official Shimano components. The bike was outfitted with safety brakes, stem mounted shifters, and gumwall tires.

One of the best ways to stand out as a medical student applicant is by participating in research studies or performing your own research. Of course, presenting or being published is usually what people are after, and being part of a major university study increases your chances of being published or swept off to a fancy conference. Accepted.com has just posted an exhaustive list of some of the best research programs available to undergraduate students. These programs are all 6-12 weeks and many provide a nice stipend and/or living arrangements.

For me, this time of year is usually when I start getting those dreaded password-expiration notices. For many of us, we us multiple EMRs, hospital computer systems, emails, list servs, and online course catalogs, each with a different username and password requirement. To keep all your passwords in line, try some of these tips I use. It might prevent you from resorting to a sticky note!

Two-Factor Authentication: For most of us, this is the gold standard in password strength. You can keep a relatively easy password, and then authenticate your identity using a cell phone or other device. The most popular example of this is Gmail, which will send a randomly generated PIN number to your cell phone when someone attempts to access your account. This PIN is then required to log in. Alternatively, you can use a smartphone app _called Google Authenticator that will randomly generate PIN for any of your accounts. I use this app to control my Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and other accounts that offer 2-factor authentication.

Create a password formula: Even though you need multiple passwords for different accounts, you can build a password formula that will provide you with an easy way to create a new, custom password for each site.

In the example to the left, I created a random "base password" that includes numbers, capital and lower case letters, and a special character. This should be an easy to remember password (Red12345!). Then, for every site, I create a password based on the above "base password" by just adding the site name and a number. To keep your base password and formula protected, I recommend using a more complex version of this formula, as this is relatively easy to break once you see one password.

3. Create a throwaway account: For many apps and sites, creating an account is merely a formality. For these sites, I recommend using a secondary email account and basic password, since this will not include your credit card information or other personal info, I am usually less concerned with the possibility of that password being found.

Accepted.com is a site that provides Admissions Consultation for pre-med, pre-law, MBA, and grad school students. They also have a blog with great content.

Next Tuesday, October 29th at 5pm PST (8pm for us East Coasters), Accepted is hosting a Webinar on the Multiple Mini Interview, which is a technique use by many medical schools to screen potential students. If you haven't interviewed yet, I highly recommend checking out the Webinar and Accepted's website for some great tips on making the most of an intensive interview method, and to keep away from it's pitfalls.

It happens all the time, and if you hang out with runners long enough, you'll hear about it; "I was going to run race X, but then I got hurt 4 weeks into my training... I was looking great, planning on a PR, but my IT band started acting up again..."

Runners (and med students, for that matter) are highly motivated individuals. They push themselves to run longer and faster, and rarely are able to see an injury until it stops them in their tracks.

Top Five Running Injuries

Knee Pain (PFPS, ITBS)

Achilles Tendon

Stress Fractures

Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome

Plantar Fasciitis

(Pribut S. The Top Five Running Injuries Seen in the Office-Part 1... part 1. Podiatry Management [serial online]. April 2013;32(4):187-196. Available from: CINAHL with Full Text, Ipswich, MA. Accessed January 22, 2014.)

For many people, the idea of going to med school sounds like a ton of work that they could never possibly succeed at. Others say the same thing about running a half-marathon. Here's a plan I put together so that people struggling with getting all their studying done can still do both.

Originally, this was made for students volunteering in the Medals for Mettle program, while pairs medical students up with a child battling cancer. Through their training for a 13.1 mile race, the students learn about the struggles their child goes through just to lead a relatively normal life.